Friends, Love and War
by Wise-ass-master
Summary: A new big bad has moved into town, and is looking to recruit the entire Sunnydale population of vampires for his evil plan: setting the sun…permanently. Luckily, for the scoobs, some unexpected help arrives...decided to bring the fic back after almost 6
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I don't own my house, my car, my bed nor my room, so obviously I don't own the characters in this story, all belong to Joss Whedon. All hail Joss.  
  
Rating: Um..most likely 'PG-13' for some language, violence and a little sexual innuendo.  
  
Pairings: Willow/Tara, Buffy/Spike, Anya/Xander, Angel, Cordy  
  
Time: Takes place about a week after the kick ass Season 6 finale "Grave"  
  
Summary: A new big bad has moved into town, and is looking to recruit the entire Sunnydale population of vampires for his evil plan: setting the sun.permanently. This is a job Buffy and the Scoobs can't handle by themselves, but luckily for them, some unexpected help has arrived.  
  
  
  
"Failure is only defined as the lack of will to love."  
  
Kristine Ortho  
  
General Mistress of the Majestic  
  
  
  
"Is she ever going to come our of her room?" Anya said as she stuffed her face with mashed potatoes, leaving majority of it on her chin instead of her mouth.  
  
Buffy sighed deeply, "I don't know, but if she doesn't, who could blame her? I know I couldn't, all she's been through," she paused, "losing Tara.."  
  
The table quieted down, everyone dropped their eyes to the floor. After several awkward seconds, maybe even minutes of uncomfortable silence, Xander piped up, "Good dinner Buff, I'm getting sleepy. You know you can always tell it's a good meal when ya get sleepy. He said, rubbing his stomach.  
  
Buffy gave a corner smile, "Thanks Xander, from you I'll take that as a big compliment."  
  
"Of course it's a compliment, I would have a second helping, but if the first one made me this sleepy. a second would probably make me pass out."  
  
"No, no, no, no passing out, I still have dessert," Buffy stood and trotted off to the kitchen.  
  
"Oh goody! Dessert! The most important meal of the day, "Anya happily stated, pushing her mashed potatoes aside.  
  
Xander thought about replying but decided against it instead. After all, Anya was mad at him enough, no reason to give her more ammo.  
  
"Dawnie, you're awfully quiet, something weighing up on your mind?" Xander asked as he sipped his Dr. Pepper.  
  
Dawn looked up, obviously caught off-guard, "Huh? Oh, no. It's just.its just thinking about Willow. Up there, all alone."  
  
"Here we are!" Buffy unintentionally interrupted, "Cherry-chocolate pie, dig in everyone," She plopped the pie on the table then removed her oven mitts. When no one rushed to devour the steaming pie, her expression became more solemn, "I used real chocolate."  
  
"Oh no, It's not that Buff, it's just that we're back on the subject of Willow," he paused, "which reminds me, when was the last time she ate?" Xander asked.  
  
"Don't 'member, I think the morning of.well, you know." Buffy trailed off.  
  
"Maybe you could slip little pieces of food under the door for her," Anya chimed in as she reached for a piece of pie to put on her plate.  
  
"Yeah, then when she does come out, we could put a choke chain on her, teach her to roll over and make her sleep in a kennel," Buffy said sarcastically, but as she saw Anya about to reply, she quickly snapped, "no!"  
  
Anya looked disappointed, but poked at her pie to hide it.  
  
"Well she WILL have to eventually come out, right? I mean, she still has to eat sometime and go to the bathroom." Dawn trailed.  
  
Xander rubbed his chin, "K, here's a thought no one probably wanted to hear, but: What has she been doing 'bout the bathroom thing for the past week?"  
  
A sudden look of terror and surprise swept over Buffy's face as she started off, thinking about the possibilities, "You're right, didn't want to hear that."  
  
"Maybe you should slip some newspaper under the door too," Anya quipped, "You know, just in case she has to go, you don't want to find any unpleasant surprises under the bed, do you?" gingerly testing the cherry- chocolate pie, "Are you sure you put REAL chocolate in here? Tastes funny."  
  
Buffy stared at Anya, amazed at some of the things that came out of her mouth, "No one's slipping anything anywhere. and YES it's real chocolate!" She said, almost offended by the chocolate bit.  
  
"I'm just saying." Anya said as a matter-of-factly. Buffy shook her head, "Sooner or later, she's gonna have to come out."  
  
  
  
The chanting grew louder as a blue light fixated on a chalk-drawn circle in the middle of the abandoned warehouse.  
  
"The time is at hand my brethren," a red-cloaked figure with a deep "James Earl Jones" like voice, said, "the only task that remains is acquiring the following of the undead."  
  
The others surrounding him nodded in agreement, and removed their hoods, revealing a black tattoo of a sun that stretched from hairline to chin, then cheek to cheek.  
  
The James Earl Jones wannabe then bellowed, "Bring the messenger."  
  
Two men exited the main room and disappeared out of sight.  
  
A foggy entity arose from the circle and engulfed itself over the deep voiced man, "Tagmouth, you have been good to me. I will repay you once my throne has been reclaimed."  
  
Tagmouth smiled and nodded, "I live to serve you Tunekai, and I swear, you shall rise again," He said to the growing mist.  
  
The two henchmen returned with a rather pissed off looking vampire whose feet and hands were shackled.  
  
"Bring him here," Tagmouth ordered.  
  
They followed, and threw the vampire to his knees before the mist known as Tunekai.  
  
"What the hell?" the vampire questioned, but received no answer. Instead Tunekai began speaking on his own terms, "Mazrath, a demon of the darkness."  
  
The confused vampire replied, "Okay.what of it?"  
  
Tunekai swept closer to Mazrath, who was trying to distance himself from him with no success.  
  
"Have you ever wanted more?" Tunekai asked, "More than just hiding in the shadows, waiting for your prey to near closer so that you may feed? More than being limited to the night?"  
  
Mazrath seemed more interested in what the mist had to say than before.  
  
"I can change that, vampire, I can make it eternally night. You shall no more be confined to the sewers, hiding from sunlight, cowering in it's face."  
  
"Yeah, but what do I have to do?" Mazrath rose to his feet.  
  
"Preach my work, collect me a following of faithful warriors of the undead. Then and only then, shall I make you true predators of the night."  
  
A wide grin appeared over Mazrath's vamped face, "I shall my master, I shall." 


	2. Chapter 2

"The only guarantee in life, is that your life will eventually end. Whether it be today, tomorrow or in a hundred years. Success is being able to accept that fact."  
  
Kane Dermont High Priest of the Majestic  
  
  
  
"Okay, is it just me, or do things look deader than ever?" Buffy asked as she strolled through an empty cemetery with Xander and Anya.  
  
"Oh, it's not just you, and for the record, I don't think 'deader' is a word," Xander informed.  
  
"Maybe there's some kind of party going on. Y'know, exclusive, vampires only," Anya said, with a touch of pep.  
  
"K, no party that's thrown by vampires could be good, and second, there's no music, and no flashing lights anywhere, what kind of party is that?" Buffy replied.  
  
"Maybe they're throwing it somewhere else. Probably even have party games too: like bobbing for heads or pin the tail on the human." Xander quieted when he realized Buffy and Anya were staring at him, "God I need a life." he whispered to himself.  
  
At that moment a single female vampire with blonde hair in a ponytail rushed passed them, jumping over several tombstones.  
  
"Looks like someone's late for the party," Buffy said as she sprinted after the vampire.  
  
It seemed she didn't even notice Buffy chasing after her, instead she kept her focus straight ahead. Buffy lept forward, tackling the vampire from behind. They both fell to the ground, hard. Buffy immediately turned the vampire onto her back and strattled her, to keep her from squirming away.  
  
"Get off of me! I have to go!" the vamp growled.  
  
"I'm sorry, am I going to make you miss your dentist appointment?" Buffy asked sarcastically, "well color me 'I don't give a damn'."  
  
"You don't understand, I have to go! He's coming."  
  
"By the sound of it, he's not even here yet, so I'd be more worried about the Slayer who has you pinned to the ground NOW and is about to put this stake through your heart."  
  
Xander and Anya stood behind Buffy, staring curiously at the terrified vampire. "Even if you kill me, it won't matter," the vamp chuckled, "I'm only a single soldier in the army," she challenged. "Okay, I'm not loving the confused me, single soldier? And while I'm at it, who the hell's coming?" Buffy asked.  
  
The vampire straightened her face, not letting a word pass through her lips.  
  
"Alright, I know you speak English," Buffy pressed the sharp point of the wooden stake against the vampire's chest, "Now tell me what I want to know."  
  
"You think I'm afraid of you, little girl?"  
  
"Oh boy, a cocky vampire loaded with an attitude, please, surprise me some more," Xander said sarcastically.  
  
The vamp ignored Xander's remark and continued, "I'm more afraid of what HE'LL do to me, you're nothing compared to hi-"  
  
Buffy interrupted, "Last time I'm gonna ask, who's 'him'?"  
  
"The bringer of the darkness," The vamp raised her arm and grasped Buffy's throat, tightening her grip every fraction of a second. Buffy grabbed ahold of her wrist, but was unable to loosen her grip, she plunged the wooden stake through her attacker's heart. The vamp squeeled and within a second, exploded into dust and was carried away by the wind. Buffy fell to the ground, no longer being held up by her assailant.  
  
"Well, that went well," Anya sighed.  
  
"Let's get back to the house, I have a feeling we're not going to be seeing any more vamps tonight, more like a long hard night of research."  
  
"That's all she said? 'He's coming'? That seems, oh I don't know, vague?" Dawn said as she cocked her eyebrow as she flipped through some pages in the book.  
  
"tell me about it, you think they'd give me a little more credit than that. I mean, now we have to go through all the work of researching and looking for all the 'he's' in the books," Buffy looked at Xander, "Do you know how long that could take? By the time we find him, he'll probably have already come and gone. I wish Giles would've stayed, he's better at this whole researching thing."  
  
"It could be anybody. I mean, literally, it could be the mailman, or a tire salesman," Xander said, obviously frustrating by the lack of success.  
  
Buffy stared at Xander, "And why would they be afraid of a tire salesman?" she dared.  
  
"Well, you obviously don't know how pushy those tire salesman can get, I'd be afraid," Xander replied.  
  
"Xander's right, I mean, there's no way to know for sure that this 'he' is a demon," Anya chimed in.  
  
Buffy replied, "She said 'he is the bringer of the darkness'. You can't tell me that doesn't sound like a demon."  
  
Anya shrugged, "Maybe it's not, maybe it's just some guy that knows how to turn off a lightswitch."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Let's be real, okay? Vamps aren't afraid of just anything." "Yeah Ahn, I mean, you're a demon, and you have no clue what these vamps are terrified of?" Xander asked.  
  
Anya looked at Xander, clearly annoyed. Dawn hid her face in the book, knowing Xander and Anya were about to get into it again.  
  
Xander picked up on it almost immediately, "What?" "You think that just because I'm a demon I know everything that's evil?" Anya's tone increased.  
  
"Well I just thought th-"  
  
"That's right, you just THOUGHT."  
  
"Hey! Just be-" Xander was interrupted again.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Buffy shouted, "I really don't need you two arguing again! There's too many freaky things going on as it is!"  
  
Anya paused, "Sorry," she said in a soft-spoken voice.  
  
"Sorry Buff," Xander said quietly.  
  
"Good," Buffy sat back down, "Now let's keep researching, and find out why these vamps are treating this guy like the second coming."  
  
Xander and Anya immediately planted their faces back in the books. Buffy tried to do the same, but couldn't take her mind off of Xander and Anya. Ever since Xander left her at the alter, tension had been especially strong for them. But had gotten worse when Anya had slept with Spike.Spike. Buffy's mind tried to move on, but seemed to be stuck on him. No one was sure where he had gone, some said he went to Antarctica to be apart of some neutered vamp club, some said he went to Africa to have the chip removed, yet others said he went to Etheopia, where he could feed on the soon-to-be- dead starving people. No one was sure. Would he be back? When? Wait. Why do I care? Buffy cleared her head, determined to forget about Spike.  
  
"Okay, maybe we could narrow it down some," Xander flipped through some pages, "Narrow it down to the demons who have a history of killing vampires?"  
  
"Could be. Because she did say she was afraid of what he was going to do to her, so he has to have a history," Buffy kept her eyes on the page in front of her.  
  
"One thing I don't understand, which if I did, would probably make things go a whole lot easier in the research department: Was she running AWAY from him? Or going somewhere FOR him?" Xander asked.  
  
Buffy thought a moment, "Good question, but if she was going somewhere FOR him, it would mean he's got some master plan, which, let's face it, usually means it's probably th-"  
  
"The end of the world," Willow finished, speaking her first words to them in the past week. 


	3. Chapter 3

"For every million attacking evil at the body, there is but only one attacking it at the root."  
  
Maxwell Garner  
  
Grandfather founder of the Majestic  
  
  
  
  
  
ABOUT 20 MINUTES EARLIER  
  
Willow layed on her stomach on the bed with her face buried in her pillow fighting the endless tears. How could everything in her life just vanish? A single bullet, one tiny piece of metal ended the love of her life. And now she was gone, forever. Forever. Forever never seemed that long when she was in Tara's arms, or when Tara would look into her eyes, then, forever seemed all too close. But now, forever was forever, she would spend it alone, without Tara. It had to be impossible, there was no way she could live the remainder of her life never being able to kiss Tara gain, or wake up next to her in the morning, or being able to run her fingers through her hair.whenever Willow thought about it, the tears would swell up again, prompting her to cry once more. Willow was almost tired of crying, she had done it for almost a week straight. When had been the last time she slept? Oh yeah, the day before last when she had cried herself to sleep, but it couldn't' have been more than an hour. Every once in awhile her friends would talk loud enough so that Willow could hear a group of indistinct muffles, never enough so that she could make out the actual words. It didn't really matter anyway. Nothing mattered anymore. She began to grow uncomfortable in the position she was in, Willow used her hands to push herself on her knees, then rolled over to sit up. The sight of a middle- aged woman sitting on the edge of her bed surprised her.  
  
"Wha- Who- how did you get in here?" Willow was finally able to get out.  
  
"He's coming Willow," the woman simply replied.  
  
"Who's coming? How did you know my name? And how did you get in here?" Willow repeated, wiping her eyes with the palms of her hands.  
  
"It doesn't matter, he's coming, you need to stop him before the ritual."  
  
Willow sighed, "You want me to stop him, yet you won't answer any of my questions."  
  
The woman straightened her back, "Fair enough. My name's Kristine, I'm apart of a guidance league known as the Majestic, we have great powers Willow. Greater than anybody has ever known. We foretold about Tunekai's arrival, a sun god. His followers have organized a ritual, thus recruiting every undead they could, creating a cult. If they succeed, Tunekai will be freed, and will unleash hell on the Earth that punished him so long ago. And to show gratitude to his worshippers, the sun shall never rise again and every vampire will roam free without boundaries."  
  
Willow stared at the woman, "K, that still doesn't answer my question: How'd you get in here?"  
  
She replied, "I told you Willow, the Majestic have great powers, we've been watching you for many a year now."  
  
Willow grew a skeptical look on her face, "If you're so powerful, why don't you stop this Tunekai yourself?"  
  
Kristine hesitated then sighed, "Truth be told, our powers are great, yes. But have no effect on the world of the living."  
  
"So, are you a vampire? Cause if you are, I'm pretty sure no one invited you in, so you're breaking the rules," Willow said tiredly.  
  
"No, I'm not a vampire, nor a demon of any kind. I'm dead, not the Undead, just dead. Ghost if you will."  
  
"Uh huh.have I been drinking? Cause I don't' remember bringing anything up. No, wait, I know, I'm dreaming. I cried myself to sleep again," Willow layed back down and closed her eyes.  
  
"You're not dreaming Willow, and you need to stop him before he arrives," realizing Willow wasn't convinced, Kristine continued, "I told you, the Majestic have great powers in the world of the dead. If you stop him, Willow, I know we could give you back the thing you loved the most."  
  
Willow's eyes opened instantly as she sat up, "How do you know what I loved the most?"  
  
"Because I know her, personally. I told you, I'm dead too," she replied.  
  
Willow thought for a moment, "Why is it you want me to stop this guy so badly? I mean, what he does to the world doesn't effect you, cause, well, you know.you're dead."  
  
Kristine shook her head, "It's not what he WILL do, it's what he's already done to me."  
  
Willow looked into Kristine's blue eyes, "How do I know that you'll really give me Tara back?"  
  
Kristine shrugged, "All I have to give you is my word, a promise. You have to trust me Willow, I will return her to you."  
  
Willow's eyes searched the bed, trying to gather her scrambled thoughts together, "Okay, I will."  
  
Kristine smiled, an almost friendly smile, "Good, the day after the world doesn't end, I'll uphold my promise," She stepped backwards, into a dark corner of the room, where she simply vanished.  
  
Willow stood from her bed, motivated to do whatever was necessary. She opened the door which had remained closed for the past week, then trotted down the stairs in time to hear the tail end of Buffy's sentence, ".some master plan, which, let's face it, usually means it's probably th-"  
  
"The end of the world," Willow finished for her. 


	4. Chapter 4

This one's kind of short, mainly cause I don't want to give away anything too big. Next chapter will be longer, promise.  
  
  
  
  
  
"It's never too late to go home, even if home doesn't want you back"  
  
Carolyn Quinn  
  
Dignitary consultant  
  
  
  
Meanwhile in L.A.  
  
  
  
"There! He's coming! Shadows....and fear.Oh God, he's coming!"  
  
"Who's coming Cordy?" Angel held Cordelia by her arms, slowly lowering her to the floor.  
  
"Tunekai."  
  
"Tunekai, that name sounds oddly familiar," Wesley said as he rushed to the counter and pulled out a large dusty book from underneath. He started to flip through the pages and came to a dead stop when he layed his eyes on a portrait on one of them, "Dear God."  
  
"That's never good," Gunn turned to Fred, "When English men say 'Dear God' it always means some kind of apocalypse or bad tea."  
  
"I have my vote for bad tea," Fred said as she raised her hand a little worryingly.  
  
Wesley rolled his eyes as he removed his glasses, "Tunekai, the Sun God."  
  
Fred looked skeptical as she replied, "A Sun God? That doesn't seem so bad. I mean really, what's the worst he could do? Rise and set the sun 'till we get annoyed?"  
  
Wesley looked at Fred, his eyes searching for some kind of understanding in hers, but finding none, she clearly didn't know the affect he could bring. His thoughts were interrupted as Gunn quipped in, "Or, he could set the sun..y'know, like forever."  
  
Wesley nodded in Gunn's direction, "Thus reviving my 'Dear God' statement."  
  
"He's gonna set the sun?" Cordelia asked somewhat incoherently.  
  
"Which means a 24 hour buffet for vampires," Angel answered, "and since Sunnydale has a history, I'm guessing that's where he's headed."  
  
"Then that's where we'll go," Gunn stated.  
  
Wesley shook his head, "We can't all go, for somewhat," he paused, "for obvious reasons. Like Wolfram and Hart for instance."  
  
Angel dropped his head to the floor, searching for an answer, "Wesley, you and Gunn stay here, Cordy, Fred and I are going to Sunnydale to meet up with some friends."  
  
"You mean Buffy?" Wesley prodded.  
  
"Yeah, if there's an apocalypse coming, knowing her, she'll be in the center of it," Angel nodded, "it kind of has a history of getting her killed."  
  
"Angel, do you really think that she's going to need our help? I mean, she's prevented 7 already, and one of them you caused," Cordy said as she rubbed her forehead.  
  
Angel swallowed, obviously thrown off by the Acathla reference, "Cordy, whatever this Tunekai's planning, it has to be big, something so big, that the Powers That Be wanted you to know it was going to happen so we could prevent it."  
  
Cordy bit her lower lip, trying to find the words to say, but in the end, she only managed two, "Let's go." 


	5. Chapter 5

"It's not if your heart is beating or not, it's whether you have the heart to accept it" Daniel Quinn Priest Dignitary Consultant  
  
Just outside of Sunnydale  
  
  
  
How do I feel? I don't know, everything's a blur, pain, excitement, and death all rolled into one. It's like my life has finally begun again. My heart may not be beating, but I'm alive, I can feel it. I'm finally alive, but I've killed so many. So many lives lost because of me, because I was an animal. Innocent people, losing their lives, not knowing I was going to be the one. The one who would kill their husbands, their wives, their mothers and fathers and even their children while they watched. Putting them through such agony, making them WANT to die before I finally killed them. I'm a monster. A Monster who deserves to die the way I've killed so many. How could I do such things and dance on their bloody bodies while I toasted my brandy? How can a man feel alive like I do, after having the memories I have?  
  
The cab's stopping, it's time to finally go home.  
  
I'm in the cab now, the cabby's smoking, and the smell's making me sick, I quickly try to wave the smoke away from my face with my hand. Doesn't do any good. But I still feel better, I'm out of those clothes, they were too binding and morbid.  
  
"Where to?" the cabby asks me in a deep raspy voice.  
  
"Um..16-1630 Revello Dr., please," I feel unsure of myself, as if I know the cabby could see right through me, to the monster I once had been.  
  
"Don't be so bloody stupid," I whisper to myself.  
  
Would she accept me? Would she finally love me? I don't know. I drop my head, to view my knickers. Well, one thing's for certain, I'd make a good impression. I have on my beige suit, the one I had worn the day I became a monster. I know it seems a bit.well, old, but I belong in the 18th century. I can't be modern, all I know is what I used to be. The car's slowing down, we must be here. I can feel my muscles tightening. What if she lowers me to a rank, arrogant pig like she always has?  
  
I pay the cabby, and exit through the back door. Standing straight I size the house with my eyes, what if she's not home? Stop it, just bloody stop it. I can't be the pansy I was, that's what caused the pain and hurt, just do it.  
  
Okay, I'm walking up the stairs now, I'm at the door. Just breathe, think clearly. I'm knocking on the door now. Now I can tell she's home. I hear voices, and I can hear the footsteps getting louder. The door opens.  
  
Her face, her beautiful face, in total awe. I'm not certain if it was good or bad, but it doesn't really matter.  
  
"Spike!" she managed to get out.  
  
"Please Buffy," I replied, "Call me William. 


	6. Chapter 6

"Dignity is not getting back on the horse, but being able to smack the horse after it throws you off." Michael Schwarts Count Protestant of the Majestic  
  
About 30 minutes earlier  
  
"Will!" Buffy jumped from her chair and embraced her friend in a tight hug.  
  
Willow smiled as she hugged her back.  
  
It felt good to be able to do that again, especially after spending a week without any interaction at all. Before Willow knew it, Xander had joined in, then Dawn, even Anya.  
  
"Are you feeling alright? Are you hungry? How about a drink?" Buffy flooded her with questions as she stepped away.  
  
Willow couldn't help but give a wide grin as she replied, "I'm fine, really."  
  
"Uh, Willow, there's something we've been meaning to ask you," Anya said timidly, "We're not going to find any 'surprises' on the floor or under the bed, are we?"  
  
Willow's grin quickly faded as her face gained a look of confusion, "huh?"  
  
"Y'know, since you haven't been able to use the bathroom?"  
  
Xander quickly nudged Anya in the arm his elbow, a desperate attempt to quiet her down.  
  
Willow wasn't exactly sure what to say, but before she could reply, Buffy interrupted, "So, what do you know about this new apocalypse?"  
  
Carefully thinking before she answered, "I've, uh, been reading, and I over heard you guys talking about Tunekai. So I thought it would be helpful if we knew what were up against." Okay, it wasn't a [I]total[/I] lie. It's just giving a different perspective, Willow thought to herself. She didn't want them to know about Tara, about her interaction with Kristine. What would they think of her? That she was selfish and only willing to help because she could get Tara back? No. It wasn't true, Willow would've helped no matter what, and it would kill her inside to think her friends perceive her as selfish.  
  
"So, what'd you find out?" Anya asked as she sat down in her seat.  
  
Willow pulled out a chair, "Well, Tunekai's a Sun God, and from what it looks like, he's trying to make a second coming, and soon."  
  
Xander cocked his eyebrow, "Sun God? Jesus, that's never good. Last time we fought a God, Buffy died. And all this dying can't be good for her."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes, then refocused her attention to Willow, "Go on."  
  
"Well, he's planning to somehow come back. Y'know, make himself whole again. But in order to do that, he needs some kind of following. To do the ritual that brings him back," Willow hesitated, "The vampires."  
  
Dawn piped up, "Bt from what I know about vampires, they just don't go around helping people, obviously. What's in it for them?"  
  
Willow dropped her eyes to the floor, searching for the right words to say, but before she could answer Buffy chimed in once again, "Oh God, he's gonna set the sun isn't he?"  
  
"Can he do that?" Xander asked in disbelief.  
  
"Xander. The keyword here is 'God.' God's can pretty much do whatever they want; Set the sun, destroy the world, get free coffee," Willow replied.  
  
"How do we stop it?" Buffy asked.  
  
Anya offered, "I'm guessing we stop the ritual. I mean, if this ritual's what's going to bring him back, then we stop the vamps from doing it. Duh, jeez, how long have you guys been doing this again?"  
  
Xander looked a little sheepish. As did Buffy and Willow.  
  
"K, so we just need to find out where they're doing it, then we bust up the party and go bronzing, right?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well," Anya traced the rim of her glass with her finger, "If you hadn't staked that vamp, we could've just followed her..and found out where it was going to be. I guess we're just go-"  
  
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!  
  
Buffy looked a little annoyed, "Lemme get that."  
  
Arg! Who could be knocking on the door this time of night? And especially when we're in the middle of an apocalypse? Can we say "rude"? This guy's gonna get an earful, he's just probably selling-  
  
"Spike!"  
  
"Please Buffy," he replied, "Call me William." 


	7. Chapter 7

"Believing is not what you see with your eyes, but what you feel with your heart." Malkiah DeVou Guardian St. DeVou of the Majestic  
  
  
  
Buffy stood in awe. Her mind completely blank, unable to even decode what she was seeing. Spi- I mean, William, at my front door, looking like some kind of role-playing reject.  
  
"Wha-" Buffy started to breathe heavily, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I- I came to see you."  
  
Somehow Buffy knew, he was changed. She wasn't exactly sure how, but he spoke with a gentler tone and seemed shy.  
  
"Why? Where have you been?" Buffy was beyond confused.  
  
"I was in Africa, and.."  
  
After the word "Africa" Buffy just pretty much stopped listening, she had thought about some of the rumors about Spike having his chip removed.  
  
"Are you evil?" Buffy interrupted.  
  
William sighed, "No Buffy. In fact, far from it. I have a soul. And.and I'm a better man now Buffy, I am."  
  
She couldn't believe it. Spike had a soul. Spike. Had. A. Soul. Was it some kind of trick? No. Buffy knew in her heart William wasn't lying.  
  
"C-can we talk about this later? We're kind of in the middle of an apocalypse here."  
  
William nodded his head vigorously, "Of course! I mean, yes, yes we can. But um.maybe I could help, or something?"  
  
Buffy thought for a moment, "Come in."  
  
William gave a slight corner smile as he stepped inside, he immediately saw Anya, Xander, Willow and Dawn sitting at the kitchen table. All staring at him with open mouths. He felt a little uneasy, having them watching him.  
  
Buffy appeared from behind him to address the gang, "Long story, we'll talk about it later."  
  
They tried to direct their faces forward, but William could still see them looking at him from the corner of their eyes.  
  
[I]They're like bloody sharks, any moment now they're gonna jump up and eat me.[/I]  
  
"So, uh, you have a soul now?" Xander asked as William took a seat.  
  
"Ho- how did you know?" William asked.  
  
"The door's not that far away from the kitchen, buddy," Xander replied, "So uh, tell me, why should we believe you?"  
  
"Guys, later okay? I mean hello? Sun God? Pending doom?" Buffy replied, clearly annoyed.  
  
"What?" Xander asked defensively, "This guy shows up after how many weeks, claiming he has a soul. And I just wanna know why we should believe him."  
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
"Great who could that be NOW?" Buffy said as she got up.  
  
"Maybe it's Giles coming to tell you that he's gay and just had twins" Xander said sarcastically.  
  
Anya immediately followed "You mean Giles's isn't gay?"  
  
Xander stared at Anya, but when he finally broke his gaze he said, "Sit Buffy, I'll get it."  
  
Buffy smiled at him, showing him gratitude as she sat back down. Xander stood and soon disappeared behind the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen. Not two seconds later, they heard an ear-piercing girlish scream. They all ran to the door to find the culprit.  
  
"What's wrong? Who screamed?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Uh, that would be me, and that would be why," Xander said as he pointed out the door. There, in her front yard, stood close to maybe 20 vampires, all staring at them.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Get the weapons," Buffy quickly ordered.  
  
Just as they began to move the male vampire standing nearest to the door spoke with a heavy Russian accent, "Please, no need for weapons."  
  
"What? You expect me to kill you all with my bare hands?" Buffy asked somewhat sarcastically.  
  
He chuckled, "I mean there's no need for killing at all. We're here to help you."  
  
Xander threw his hands into the air, "I knew it! It's April Fools Day and nobody told me."  
  
"You couldn't be more wrong arrogant one," He said, "I am Exodis, I lead this demons. And if you'll give us a chance to explain, we will reveal what needs to be known."  
  
"So start explaining," Buffy stated.  
  
"I know you know that the God is coming. And I also know you know what his plans are."  
  
"Good, we all know everything," Willow said.  
  
Exodis smiled, "We're here to help you stop the ritual. To stop Tunekai."  
  
"Why would you want to do that? Isn't this Tunekai like your Tiger Woods of killing?"  
  
"Think about it Slayer. If the sun goes down forever, every vampire will be able to feed faster than humans reproduce. Soon, there will be nothing left to feed on. Much like having a single mouse in a room full of a thousand snakes. We don't' want that, we like having boundaries, so that the supply of humans don't run out."  
  
"How can you help us?" Buffy asked in a voice that was a little quieter than what it had been before.  
  
"When you find out where and when the ritual is, we'll be there. To even out the score." Exodis stated, and as he finished, all the vampires turned and started to walk down the street, soo, they disappeared into the night.  
  
Buffy closed the door, in total and complete shock.  
  
"Do you believe them?" Willow asked.  
  
"I don't know Will, but at this point we need all the help we can get." 


	8. Chapter 8

"Sometimes irony is the only way to live, because without it, our lives would be far too predictable."  
  
Morgan Harris Grand Chancellor of the Majestic  
  
  
  
  
  
"Cordelia! What are you doing?" Angel screamed as he fidgeted in the passenger seat.  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm driving!" she hollered back.  
  
"Do you not see the sun coming up?!"  
  
"If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a deserted highway surrounded by dirt! Am I supposed to pull over so you can bury yourself in the sand?!" she shouted as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel.  
  
"Um.we have some blankets in the trunk," Fred offered as she perked her head up from the back seat.  
  
"Okay, Cordy, you have to pull over, like now," Angel said as he tried to hide his face under his coat.  
  
"Angel, we have to get to Sunnydale, quick. I don't have time to pull over. For all I know, Tunekai could already be on his rampage. If it wasn't for that damn flat tire, we would be there already, why did you tell us you didn't know how to change a flat?"  
  
"One: YOU were the one who decided it would be okay to drive over the glass, and two: What's Fred supposed to do? Climb out of the car while you're still driving? You're likely to run over her too!"  
  
Fred quietly whispered, "Please, let's not."  
  
Cordy sighed, "Okay, but just for a second."  
  
She slammed the brakes on as she swerved to the right. Fred quickly hopped out and popped open the trunk, she retrieved the blankets and hurried back to the back seat. As soon as Fred closed the door, Cordelia jetted off again. By this time Angel was bordering on frantic, as the car slowly filled with smoke.  
  
"Angel! Stop smoking! I can't see the road!" Cordy coughed.  
  
"Well I'll be sure to apologize when you're sitting next to a big pile of dust!"  
  
"Angel, sit in the back seat, it'll be easier to cover you," Fred ordered as she unfolded the blankets. Angel halfway stood up as he stepped on the armrest and collapsed in the back seat.  
  
"Hurry! Hurry, cover me up!"  
  
Fred threw several blankets covering Angel's entire body. She strattled the blankets that were covering him as she checked to make sure there were no exposed parts.  
  
WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO WHOO!  
  
"Cordy, please don't tell me that sounds like what I think it sounds like." Angel said, with his voice slightly muffled by the blankets.  
  
"Depends, what do you think it sounds like?" Cordy asked as Angel felt the car slow down.  
  
"It's a cop car, isn't it?" Angel's voice filled with complete dread.  
  
"Um, yeah," Cordy plopped her head down on the steering wheel.  
  
A few awkward seconds passed before she heard a tap on the window. She lifted her head to see a cop with dark shakes on, and was staring in at her.  
  
She immediately rolled it down, and in one instant; the cop noticed the large amount of smoke exiting through the open window. He removed his shades as he lowered his eyebrow and stared Cordy straight in the eyes.  
  
"Oh! Oh! Um, see I know what this looks like, y'know with all the smoke, but it's not. No, nooo way, see we don't do pot." Cordy rambled.  
  
"License and registration," the cop simply replied as he glanced in the backseat to find a young woman strattling a pile of blankets.  
  
Cordy handed the cop a few pieces of paper that she retrieved from the glove compartment.  
  
"I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the car, both of you," he said as he pointed his pen at Fred.  
  
Cordy slowly opened the door as Fred climbed out of the backseat. Angel remained as quiet as possible, knowing he was unable to get out of the car.  
  
"I'm going to have to take you two in," he said as he wrote some things on his clipboard.  
  
"What? What, why?" Cordelia said, confused at what was going on.  
  
"Suspected drug use, going ninety in a seventy-five mile an hour interstate and possible DUI."  
  
"DUI? DUI?!" Cordy was now increasing the tone in her voice to anger.  
  
"Oh! She's not drunk she's just always like that," Fred informed the officer.  
  
Cordy nodded her head, "Yep, that's me. Hyper, hyper, hyper!" she said with a big smile.  
  
He ignored their explanation, "And I'm guessing if I look under those blankets I'm likely to find some drugs."  
  
Cordy turned and banged her head on the top of the car, with several loud THUDS'.  
  
"Oh, no, those aren't drugs, that's our friend," Fred simply said.  
  
"Fred!" Cordy sternly stated.  
  
Fred's eyes weaved back and forth between the officer who was nearing closer to the backdoor and Cordy who looked more frustrated than ever.  
  
Realizing her mistake, Fred approached the cop, "But! But, he can't come out, see, um, he's, uh, he's allergic."  
  
The cop looked at Fred, "Allergic to what?"  
  
Fred babbled, "He's uh, allergic to uh, t-"  
  
"The sun!" Cordy piped in, "He's deathly allergic to the sun."  
  
Fred vigorously nodded her head, "Yes, he can't come out, the sun'll kill him," she said proudly, maybe a little too proudly.  
  
The officer grew skeptical, "Well, he can tell me that himself," He opened the backdoor and poked the lump with his nightstick.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
The cop jumped back.  
  
"Yes, he's also very sore," Cordy explained.  
  
"We're on our way to a dermatologist in Sunnydale, he said he could fix him," Fred chimed in.  
  
The cop regained his composer and slowly lifted the blanket to reveal a demonic face that made the officer stumble back and trip on his own feet, causing him to fall on his bottom, hard.  
  
"What the hell is that?!" he shouted, clearly freaked about what he just saw under the blanket.  
  
"We told you, he has a skin problem," Fred said.  
  
"You better get one hell of a dermatologist!"  
  
"Well, we can't really do that if we're at a police station." Cordy trailed off.  
  
The cop brushed himself off, "Go, just go. Get the hell out of here."  
  
Cordy smiled widely as her and Fred hopped back in the car. Soon, they began to move again, and Cordy watched the cop in the rear view mirror, still dozed and confused. After a few minutes, he disappeared out of site.  
  
"I take it that went well?" Angel asked form the backseat.  
  
Fred and Cordy couldn't help but chuckle.  
  
"Well, we'll be in Sunnydale in less than half an hour." Cordy informed.  
  
Angel sighed, "Let's just hope Sunnydale's still there." 


	9. Chapter 9

"Power is not what you're able to do, but being able to control what you have."  
  
Gerald McLon General Counselor  
  
  
  
87 million years before the Earth was created.  
  
  
  
"These meek, unsettling idiots!" Tunekai screamed at the top of his lungs, so much that he was able to hear his echo several seconds afterwards.  
  
"Sire, I cannot express my deepest sympathies, but you know that law is final, there's nothing you can do," a slender, thin looking man said, having his eyes pinned to the floor.  
  
A look of anger and spite overtook Tunekai as he neared closer to the man, "I am a God you insignificant piece of waste! I can do whatever the hell I wish! And nobody! I mean NOBODY can tell me otherwise, not even these lower Gods who think they can just dispose of me like a toy. I will show them, I will show them all, Tunekai will rise, and my name will be carved onto the foreheads of all who think differently!"  
  
"I didn't mean to be a benedict sire, I just mean, how are you planning to escape the liquidation? They outnumber you a million to one, and.." he stopped short.  
  
"I will not be buried! They think they can just toss me away because I think independently," Tunekai sighed, "Without me, their little project that they call Earth would not be able to support any life forms at all, I'm essential. They may be able to contain me for a short period, but I will rise, and I will destroy all that stand in my way. Taking my powers away, and creating an automatic sunrise and sunset, it's preposterous"  
  
The man nodded, eagerly trying to please his God.  
  
"Tagmouth, I will give you immortal life, and you, you will be bring me back when the time is right," Tunekai ordered.  
  
"Yes, my liege," he lowered himself to one knee.  
  
"When the sun sets, in one immortal week, you will recreate me, make me what I am now, and I will show them...I will not be held back by their inconsistent powers.I am Tunekai, the Sun Lord." 


	10. Chapter 10

"Love is what makes our heart grow, hate is what kills us,"  
  
Kenneth Montgomery, Ally to the Majestic  
  
  
  
It wasn't long before Willow, Xander, Anya and Dawn had passed out, and Buffy had to admit, it was kind of funny watching their heads plop down on the table. She decided it would be better to let them sleep, it had already been light out for nearly an hour. All she could concentrate on was William, sitting across from her at the table, so involved in the research. He actually cares about stopping this, he genuinely wants to help.  
  
"William." Buffy started, but suddenly couldn't find the courage to finish.  
  
William lifted his eyes from the book and looked at Buffy, waiting for her to complete her sentence.  
  
But she couldn't, all she could think about was how much he's changed.I mean, he's got on a ugly beige suite that Spike would never be caught dead (or alive) in.and his hair, it wasn't slicked back like it usually was. It was loose, but still wavy. And he had glasses on.Buffy chuckled, Spike has glasses.  
  
"Buffy?" William interrupted her thoughts.  
  
Redirecting her attention to the pending situation, she began to speak again, "William, I just wanted to say that, well, that I'm somehow proud of you."  
  
William's face began to flush, "Proud?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean, you gave up what you could've been. I mean, you could be out there in the streets killing people right now, and yet, you decided to let it go, and gain a soul. And.and I like you this way," Buffy couldn't find the strength to look William in the eyes.  
  
William layed his book down on the table, "I did it for you."  
  
That statement caught Buffy off-guard, well, not totally, she knew that Spike had always had a fascination with her, but she never knew to what extremes he would go to for her. She never thought in a million years, that he would give it all up and become what he once was for her.  
  
William continued, "I know that I've said it before, but I'm kind of hoping that this time will ring more true than the last, Buffy, I love you. I know, that I'm a monster, and that my heart isn't even beating, but you are my heart. And I'm hoping that by becoming what you want me to be, that you could find it, to-" he paused, "to love me too."  
  
Buffy was speechless, every emotion inside of her was raging and becoming uncontrollable. Could I love him? Could I really, truly love him? She decided it would be best to keep off the subject until she could decide.  
  
Several minutes had passed with William sighing and waiting for a response, feeling kind of rejected, but still clinging to hope.  
  
"Can I ask you a question?" Buffy prodded.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"What's with the glasses?" She chuckled.  
  
He removed them and looked them over, and with a smile he said, "I dunno, I thought that they made me look kind of smarter, don't you think? I mean now I can be like Giles, y'know, removing them for a dramatic effect, and say 'Dear Lord' like us Englishmen do."  
  
Buffy smiled widely, trying to hold back laughter. It's been awhile since anyone's made me laugh, she thought. Maybe I could love him, just maybe.  
  
Buffy closed the book she was researching with and moved to the chair next to William. She slowly closed the book he was reading also, and looked him directly in the eyes.  
  
"Tell me you love me."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"Tell me you need me."  
  
"I need you Buffy, I always need you."  
  
Buffy leaned closer to William's face and closed her eyes as their lips met. Suddenly, whatever happened to the world, it didn't matter, all that mattered was her and William. Almost like they instantly became the center of the universe, all because of one kiss.  
  
THUD!  
  
Buffy pulled away, "What the hell's that?"  
  
William stood, "I don't know, it sounded like something hit the door."  
  
They both rushed to the front door, Buffy grasped the knob, took a deep breath and swung it open, "Angel!" 


	11. Chapter 11

"Trying to stop the world, is only delaying the inevitable. Because eventually the world will end."  
  
Jacob Sanchez, ex-commander of the Majestic  
  
  
  
4 minutes earlier  
  
  
  
"How's Angel doing?" Cordy asked Fred who was now sitting in the passenger seat.  
  
"I can still hear you, I'm not dead," Angel said from the backseat, covered with blankets.  
  
"Well, technically." Fred started.  
  
Angel ignored her and asked, "Are we there yet? It's getting really hot back here."  
  
"Be patient, we'll be there in a minute," Cordy answered.  
  
"I don't know about you two, but I'm kind of excited, meeting the famous Buffy and her friends," Fred said excitedly.  
  
"No, we're not that excited, 'member, we've met them before, Angel went all evil cause of her." Cordy commented with a slight smirk, "Alright, we're here. Now how is Angel supposed to get inside?"  
  
"Well, I was just planning on running." Angel said.  
  
Cordy turned off the car and exited, then opened the backdoor for Angel to get out. As soon as the door opened, Angel rushed out with a blanket over his head and ran up the stairs on the porch.  
  
Cordy shouted, "Angel! Wait! The door's-"  
  
THUD!  
  
"closed." she finished.  
  
Angel stumbled backwards, in somewhat a considerable amount of pain, after just slamming his head into the door. But no more than 10 seconds later, he heard it swing open and then the sound of Buffy's voice, "Angel!"  
  
"Let me in! Let me in!" He repeated. "Of course, hurry, come in," Buffy stood aside so that Angel could get to sanctuary from the sun.  
  
He immediately pulled off the blanket to see Buffy, he smiled "Buffy! You got a haircu-.then he saw Spike.  
  
"What the hell's he doing here?" Angel asked. Spike backed up, afraid that a violent confrontation might occur between him and Angel.  
  
"Angel, it's okay. Spik-, er, William has a soul now..he's good," Buffy explained.  
  
Angel sized William up, from head to toe."Jeez, when you get a soul, everyone wants to copy," he said somewhat sarcastically.  
  
Cordy and Fred soon entered after Angel.  
  
"K, we're gonna cut to the chase," Cordy started, "There's a huge big bad coming, he's gonna end the world."  
  
"I know.we've been researching, apparently if we stop some kind of ritual that the vamps are gonna do, we can stop him from rising." Buffy replied.  
  
Fred shyly stood behind Cordy, watching intently.  
  
Buffy noticed her after a split second, "Hi. Angel, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"  
  
Angel resumed, "Oh! Sorry, Buffy, this is Fred, we rescued her from Pylea."  
  
They exchanged handshakes, then Buffy nodded her head in the direction of the four sleeping-Scoobies, "I would formally introduce you to my friends, but they kind of passed out, so informal will have to do. The one on the right's Anya, the guy sitting next to her's Xander, the little one's my sister, Dawn. And the one with the drool coming out of her mouth's Willow."  
  
Angel quietly asked, "Where's Tara?"  
  
Buffy broke her gaze from Angel and shook her head, indicating that he shouldn't ask.  
  
The mood instantly became solemn.  
  
Cordy broke the silence, "Well, let's crack the books and stop the world from ending, shall we?" 


End file.
